A unique blog dedicated to covering the worlds of book publishing and the news media, revealing creative ideas, practical strategies, interesting stories, and provocative opinions. Along the way, discover savvy but entertaining insights on book marketing, public relations, branding, and advertising from a veteran of two decades in the industry of book publishing publicity and marketing.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Are You An Entrepreneurial Author?

The
publisher of Morgan James, David L. Hancock, is a friend of mine. He teamed up
with Jay Conrad Levinson, an author whose 57 books have sold over 20 million
copies, to pen The Entrepreneurial Author.
The book was published in 2010 and is vitally important and relevant for
today’s author. You should read it!

The
book is filled with motivational insights about becoming a successful author –
the “entrepreneurial author.” The authors of the book narrowed their focus to
goal-setting, planning, time management and other areas that lead writers to
become successful business people.

They
identify the 10 attitudes of the “entrepreneurial author” as being the
following:

1.Organization

2.Determination

3.Discipline

4.Passion

5.Love
of life

6.Optimism

7.Flexibility

8.Honesty

9.Self-esteem

10.Generosity

They
offer many lists of 10, such as 10 common examples of change-killing
statements, 10 hints to help you delegate, 10 tools at your disposal, 10 items
to promote happiness, etc.

The
nugget-filled book is written in an easy-to-read style, making its advice seem
achievable and not overwhelming. Maybe the most significant list contained in
its 160 pages is “Ten Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Quest”, which includes time,
money, burnout, and perfection.

Towards
the end of the book are some real gems, including the six tactics to think like
an entrepreneurial author (think new, inclusively, big, through ideas, of ways
out, and of ways to be a giving enterprise). Further, there is a list of 20
commandments for entrepreneurial authors to live by. No, 10 may surprise you
the most: “Practice co-opetition by seeking ways to benefit from collaborating
with your competitors.”

Finally,
I conclude with the words written in the foreword by one of my mentors, Rick
Frishman, who used to run the PR firm I now work at. He wrote: “Entrepreneurial
Authors are aggressive in their marketing because they find as many
opportunities as they can to get their message out loud and clear to the world…
as an Entrepreneurial Author making your way through the minefield of
marketing, you want something that makes you stand out from the rest of the
folks out there who do what you do or make what you make.”

About Me

Brian Feinblum, the creator and author of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, is the chief marketing officer for the nation's largest book promotions firm, Media Connect (www.Media-Connect.com), formerly Planned Television Arts, and has been involved in book publicity and marketing since 1989. He has served several book publishing companies as a publicist, book editor, and acquisitions editor. Brian, who earned a BA in English from Brooklyn College, became a published author in 1995 when he penned The Florida Homeowner, Condo and Co-Op Handbook. He resides in Westchester, New York with his wife, two young children, and an English Bulldog.